Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow offers a single, open, industry standard that can address many IoT applications in multiple industries. It combines the reach, robustness, scalability, and energy efficiency required by IoT systems, with the added benefits and capabilities of Wi-Fi. Operating in sub-1 GHz radio frequency spectrum and using narrower channels enables Wi-Fi HaLow to provide up to 100 times longer range than other IoT technology options. It can penetrate through building materials, ensuring successful home and building automation installations without costly meshes or repeaters, and connect devices approximately one kilometer or more from the AP while other IoT technologies were designed to only reach 10 meters. Wi-Fi HaLow uses several methods to achieve higher energy efficiency than most existing low power WANs and wireless PAN technologies. Using new MAC improvements and sleep modes, Wi‑Fi HaLow supports devices powered by coin cell batteries; it can effectively handle sensor networks in varied environments, with increased capacity to support up to 8,191 devices per SSID.
Wi-Fi HaLow facilitates a more holistic approach to wireless connectivity. Because it is Wi-Fi, it is more easily integrated with existing Wi-Fi networks, supports native IP networking, and provides the latest in Wi-Fi security. High data throughput and low-latency architecture allow IoT devices to transfer secured data to cloud-based application servers. When field upgrades are necessary, Wi-Fi HaLow provides the capacity for efficient, secure over-the-air updates, minimizing device downtime. This can all be done without the need for proprietary gateways or hubs used by non-Wi-Fi network architectures commonly used in other IoT systems.